


Stand Still is All I Did

by beriallen



Category: Korean Actor RPF, Real Person Fiction
Genre: Angst, Don’t copy to another site, F/M, Memories of the Alhambra - Freeform, Pining, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-10-24 10:09:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17702357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beriallen/pseuds/beriallen
Summary: In this industry, you will find yourself waiting a lot. For your makeup, for your wardrobe, for the set to be built. For your co-star to make sense of the feelings you unexpectedly have for her.The one where Park Shin-hye is both confused and confusing, and Hyun Bin waits.





	Stand Still is All I Did

 

 

 

 

 

In this industry, words traveled fast. 

There were times when it worked against him. “Hyun Bin and his  _office romances_ ,” they would say. “He just can’t help it.” He took offense, but then again, they were right.  

But it wasn’t always bad.  

Half-drunk conversations with his actor Hyungs revolved around actresses most of the times, and he had to admit that they could be very ungentlemanly. Strangely enough, they all turned soft and googly-eyed about the same subject. “Park Shin-hye would bring food to the set,” they would say. “She's just the best.” 

He remembered responding, “I’d love to work with her one day.” 

His words, too, traveled fast. He didn’t know how exactly, but they must have reached the casting directors’ and producers’ ears, because there he was, finally meeting her for the first time on one spring day in Seoul. Lying open on the table in front of them were two copies of a script.  _Recuerdos_ _de la Alhambra_. 

That day, she looked at him with those impossibly big eyes. “Sunbaenim, did you know?” she asked. “I was also offered a role in the drama you rejected before. I also said no, and then I got this script, and here we are.” She chuckled softly, tucking a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. “What a coincidence, right?” 

He smiled at her. “I know.” 

Some might call it fate. 

 

 

 

 

 

On their last meeting before their departure to Spain, he told her about the guitar that had been collecting dust somewhere in his house. “Shin-hye-ssi,” he said, “feel free to borrow it for practice.” 

For some reason, it made her giggle. Of course, he would later find out that this was just her in her normal state, but at that time, it simply confused him. Although the fact that the sound of her laugh somehow managed to bring a smile to his face was even more confusing to him. 

“That’s okay,” she said afterward. “I’ve got one already.” 

He raised his eyebrows at that. “Oh, you play?” 

“She does!” It was the director, cutting in on their conversation as he was walking past them. “Our Shin-hye is the best, you know!?” 

And he replied, “That’s what everybody keeps telling me.”  

 

 

 

 

 

A few staff members in Granada called him the ringmaster. They claimed it was because he was the unofficial leader of this little Korean band of performers. But, really, he believed it was because he kept insisting to pay for everyone’s dinner. He didn’t mind the nickname, much less the expenses; he was one of the older ones in the group, anyway.  

Besides, it was part of his effort to be the “mood-maker” of the group. Helming a cast came with its own responsibilities, which were hard to meet when you, like him, were more of the reserved kind.  

It was different with Shin-hye.  

Everything he had heard about her turned out to be true. She was, for lack of a better word, bright. So bright, that she didn’t even need to do much to light up everyone’s faces. She would enter the set at a jog and, almost machine-like, all heads would turn toward her to look at her adoringly. 

His was one of them. 

 

 

 

 

 

On weekends, both cast and crew would gather in bars, drinking beers until Monday morning came and the shooting resumed. Most times, though, the four of them—him, her, Hoon Hyung and Jin-woong-ie—would retire early to hang out in his hotel room. They didn’t mean to hide from the others; it was just that the three men were around the same age, so they felt more comfortable with each other.  

While, Shin-hye— She initially tagged along because the two female cast members with whom she was the closest were too underage and too elderly, respectively, to have a drink with her. And Hoon Hyung and Jin-woong welcomed her to their circle, or whatever this was, with open arms. They just enjoyed being around her, and honestly, he didn’t blame them. 

For his part, he didn’t mind her presence either. Besides, it would be a great opportunity to build chemistry with her, which was important for the drama. Or so he kept telling himself. 

Hoon Hyung and Jin-woong would sneak countless six packs and bottles of soju (he didn’t even want to know where they got them) into his room because, according to them, it was the most spacious. He tried to protest at first, but Shin-hye retorted by saying that his kitchen was the prettiest. She would barge into his room with a shopping bag in one hand and a small ice box in the other. Apparently, in her own room, there was a large suitcase she bought from Korea, filled with kimchi in multiple plastic containers, seasonings of various types and what seemed to be all kinds of meat. She would cook in his kitchen, then, making sure that the portion was too big for just four people, so she could bring the leftovers to the others or keep them in the fridge so she could share them at lunch the next day.  

The first time she cooked for them, he sauntered into the kitchen to join her, washing and preparing the ingredients with such precise, that she had to stop and gape at him. “Oppa, I didn’t know you cook well!” 

He shrugged. “I like to cook, but I don’t necessarily do it well.” 

“I see.” 

“Can I call you some time to ask for recipes? Or a piece of advice? You know, just in case I burn my food or—” He paused at that, biting his lip. A realization hit him.  

He was flirting.  

Or trying to. “—Something,” he continued in a quieter tone.  

Slowly, he glanced up at her direction, finding her in front of the electric stove. There was smoke rising from a boiling pot that she was stirring and when she tilted her head toward him, he noticed that the heat from the stove had tinted her cheeks red. He suddenly remembered that Hoon Hyung had teased her earlier because she wasn’t wearing any makeup. As the crimson on her cheeks grew a shade deeper, he thought about how the color had brought out her eyes, and he could feel the blush seeping into his own ears. 

She said, then, “Sure." 

When she smiled at him, his breath caught in his throat.  

 

 

 

 

 

They were at the café, filming the scene where he met Emma for the first time. The director told him to look at her as if she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. 

That was easy. 

 

 

 

 

 

There was one Saturday when nobody knew where she was. She only appeared in his room sometime before midnight, this time bringing stories of her playing tourist at a number of attractions around Granada. Her windblown hair was pretty much a tangled mess and she just laughed it off when the three men joked about her losing her shampoo CF. “It’s summer, whatever,” she giggled. 

And because she was Park Shin-hye, she also had a bag of souvenirs with her. “Something to remember me by,” she said as she handed the contents of the bag to them.  

“Like we need a keepsake to remember you,” Jin-woong blurted out. Hyun Bin just nodded along. For some reason, it was difficult for him to say things like that to her because, unlike the other two men, he wasn’t in a relationship. He wasn’t sure why that mattered, but it just what it was.  

Shin-hye's phone rang not long afterward and she retreated to a corner to take the call. He was watching her whispering into her phone, when Hoon Hyung gave him a nudge. “It’s probably her boyfriend,” he murmured.  

It sounded like a friendly reminder. 

Hoon Hyung must have caught him staring.  

 

 

 

 

 

Europe allowed him to keep up a pretense that they were two similarly unattached people. But once they landed back in Seoul, it was difficult to maintain that illusion.  

But it was just as hard to create a distance between them, especially when there were kiss scenes to film. Not to mention that, behind the camera, she was just as friendly—and bright!—as ever. Her face would break into a grin the moment she heard the word “Cut” and, without fail, a smile would be tugging at his lips every time she did so.  

One time she stopped by his waiting room and started talking to him about her next project, a movie. She had mentioned it in passing when they were abroad, and they had chatted about getting into the character and whatnot.  

“This movie, I hope it will do me good. Because, you know, here—” She stopped all of a sudden, and let out a sigh. She leaned her head to one side, staring at him in the meanwhile. Unknowingly, he held his breath. 

Her shoulders dropped, then. “Look at you, Oppa,” she said. She gestured at the circles under his eyes too and it dawned on him that, after rehearsing and shooting an action scene all afternoon and night, he hadn’t slept.  

“You work so hard,” she continued. 

She got up from her seat and headed for the door without a word. He followed her with his gaze and, although he was puzzled, foolishly he thought that maybe it was a good thing, that maybe it was safer to just let her go that way. 

She left the room without even looking back at him. He didn’t call out to her. 

 

 

 

 

 

The next time they were alone, they were in Shin-hye's waiting room.  

It was really late when he wrapped shooting his very last scene and Shin-hye, who had finished earlier, was the first who visited him in his waiting room, clapping and offering him cheery congratulations. Seeing her reminded him that this was the end of filming, the last time, and the thought made him bolder, if not a little bit careless. 

“Shin-hye-yah,” he said. “Can I talk to you alone?” 

If his manager and stylist who were there in the room with him were surprised, they didn’t show it. Shin-hye, meanwhile, widened her eyes before nodding her head cautiously.  

They walked into her empty waiting room; her staff were in her car already, warming themselves up. Once he closed the door behind him, it became so awkwardly quiet that Shin-hye had to paste on a grin and repeated her congratulations. As he stepped closer to stand in front of her, he caught sight of her unzipped long coat and the absence of gloves on her hands. He remembered that she had been nursing a cold.  

"Aren't you freezing?” Even as he said them, he realized the words came out too tenderly and Shin-hye blinked away from him, flustered.  

She shook her head lightly. “Oh, Oppa,” she said. “I’ll miss you.” She sniffled, then, and when she kept looking at everywhere besides him, he knew he must have been staring again.  

On one hand, he was aware that they were still going to meet each other at the farewell dinner. At the same time, the finality in the term  _last day of filming_ poked at the back of his mind, scaring him and, most importantly, compelling him. 

“I know,” he started, then, “this hasn’t been what you were hoping for.” 

She met his gaze, frowning.  

“I’m so sorry,” he continued. 

A cold wind grazed them and he wondered if the windows were still opened. He should really check, but all he did was study her face, watching her as she gave a little shiver. He was suddenly standing too near and their thick coats brushed against each other. The lack of space between them made him aware of her eyes and how swollen they were. He wished she didn’t have to smile if she was sad, and he probably said that out loud, because Shin-hye gritted her teeth all of a sudden, holding her chin up as she talked to him. 

“I—” Her voice cracked and she cleared her throat before she could proceed. “I wanted to do more. Selfishly. And working with you, who knows when I get to do that again? But—” She shrugged. “And then I would feel bad because I would see you, and you didn’t even have enough time to rest, and who am I to complain about my lines—or the lack thereof?” 

She averted her eyes again at that, raising her hands and holding them next to her face, like she was trying to shield herself. Some kind of defense mechanism.  

As if by instinct, his own hands moved and wrapped themselves around her arms. The way they were standing now allowed him to slide closer toward her and he had to tip his head to one side to look at her better.  

“Why do you have to feel bad?” 

Her response was abrupt, cutting through him. “I don’t know,” she cried out. “Because I’m sad and happy at the same time? It’s confusing! I’m sad that it turned out this way, but I do love the drama, I love being with you guys. Being in Granada is one of the happiest times in my life.” 

She paused there, taking her time before daring herself to stare back at him. His fingers were still around her arms and even through layers of coat and sweater, he could feel her trembling with cold. She heaved a sigh, heavily, and he thought about how strange it was for her breath to be so warm when it touched his skin. 

He swallowed. “I’m happy too.” 

And then he kissed her. 

Funny thing was, the first thing that came to his mind was how cold her nose was and, if anything, it made him want to press his lips harder against hers. But Shin-hye was quick to break the kiss. “Sunbaenim,” she muttered, weakly. And if there were any follow-up to that, he wouldn’t have known, because when he noticed her glancing down at his lips, it was all he could do to pull her closer against him, and lean in for another kiss.  

Later on, when he reminisced about the night, he would always struggle to remember how their kiss ended. It was most likely a knock at the door; a manager or an assistant director who had been trying to locate the stars of the show. Or perhaps it was a phone call. One thing he knew for sure was, that night, Shin-hye kissed him back. 

 

 

 

 

 

But then there was nothing. 

There was the farewell dinner, the meat she grilled so skillfully, the numerous selfies they took. Someone blurted out the truth his way—“You don’t have SNS, anyway! Why are you even taking pictures?”—which he ignored. He brought one of the souvenirs she gave him in Granada just to let her see that he was still keeping it. She was touched, as expected. And then there were the vacations; they were in the same part of U.S. at the same time. Oh, there was a text from her that he kept overanalyzing, although all she did was ask about golf tricks. 

Then that was it.  

Until a text from his manager came. It read: “Finally, some positive content.” 

He frowned at his phone, trying to make sense of it when another one popped up. It was a link to an online article and he unconsciously rolled his eyes. He never wanted to know this kind of things, but it was inevitable that the staff at his company would inform him of any article that mentioned him. The problem was, these days, there were dating rumors and he got bored already.  

He clicked the link anyway, and a headline showed up.  _Park Shin-_ _hye_ _Posts Photos with Hyun Bin and the Cast of Alhambra_.  

That gave him pause.  

A scroll through the website took him to several images from the farewell dinner. There were pictures of him with Shin-hye and he realized he remembered everything that happened when those were taken. Despite himself, he started tapping on the screen of his phone and then there it was, her number.  

If anyone asked, he wanted to let them know that the fact was, his phone was already in his hand. It wasn’t like he was making a real effort to try to get in touch with her.  

His text to her, the first one after a while, went like this. “I saw the pictures.”  _Sent_. A beat, and, “Can I have them too?”  _Sent._  

His phone vibrated once and her message appeared. “What for? You don’t even have SNS, lol.” Still, a few more texts came one after another afterward, each containing a photo of them together.  

“No, seriously. Who said that first?”  _Sent_. 

“Jin-woong Oppa, I think.” And then, “You’re such an Ahjussi, lol.” 

His lips curled into a smile. By this time, he had learned that, when it came to her, this was going to be him in his normal state. 

“Shin-hye-yah, you should have my guitar. I’m not doing anything with it, anyway.”  _Sent_. (Not sent: “Where are you now? What are you doing?”) 

“Seriously?” He was in the middle of typing his reply when he received another from her. “Oh, Oppa! By the way, I cut my hair.” 

“Yes, we should meet up!”  _Sent_. “For your movie? I have to see it myself!”  _Sent._ (Not sent: “In case you were wondering, yes, this is me flirting.”) 

“I thought about something you said when we talked about acting and stuff, so I just went ahead and cut it short.” Three new dots then blinked at him from the screen and all he could do was watch until they transformed into letters. “I’ll have to check the filming schedule first, though. I’ve been spending time at the set nowadays. I’ll let you know later?” 

He took a deep breath, and released it. “Sure. I’ll wait.”  _Sent_. 

And that was what he did.  

 

 

 

 

 

End. 

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Title is from Tegan and Sara's "I Was a Fool."  
> 2\. I know there are a lot of shippers out there but how come there aren't any fics of these two?
> 
>  
> 
> Edit:   
> Shameless promotion: If you enjoy this one, there's another one I made [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18118934)


End file.
